Rotary transporting device.



No. 659,693. Patented Oct. l6, won. a. POSSIEN & F.'V. MAOUAIRE.

ROTARY TRANSPOBTING DEVICE.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1899. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 659,693. Patented 00f. I6, 1900-, G. POSSIEN & F. V. MMIUAIBE.ROTARY TBANSPORTING DEVICE.

(Applibation filed Aug. 2, I899.) (No Model) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Mmova No. 559, 93. Patentqdflct. I6, i900.

G. POSS'IEN &. F. V. MAHUAIBE.

ROTARY TBANSPUBTING DEVICE.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1899. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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No. 659,693. Patented 00L l6, I900. G. POSSIEN &. F. V. MAQUAIBE. RQTARYTRANSPORTING DEYIOE.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1899. (No Model.) 5 Sheets Sheet 4.

ATENT OFFICE.

GASTON POSSIEN AND FBEDERIG VICTOR MAQUAIRE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

ROTARY TRANSPO RTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,693, dated October16, 1900.

Application filed August 2, 1899.

T0 (tZZ whont it nuty concern:

Be it known that we, GASTON POSSIEN, composer, of 31 Rue Vital, andFREDERIO VICTOR MAQUAIRE, engineer, of 3 Avenue du Maine, in the city ofParis, France, have invented an Apparatus for Transporting Movable Objects in a Gurvilinear Path of Varying Direc tion, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus for ef fecting the transport andexchange of one or of a number of movable objects upon and between aseries of supports moving relatively to one another.

The invention is illustrated in the accom: panying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 represents a sectional view of the apparatus as applied tomechanical moving devices--such as roundabouts or carousels, toys, andthe likethe section being taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is anelevation, partly in section, on line A B, Fig. 1. Fig; 3 is a diagramillustrating a double crossing movement made by a series of movableobjects with the aid of a series of four disks. Fig. 4 is a diagramillustrating the movement in a sinuous course and in reverse direc-itions of a series of movable objects with the aid of a series of six ora greater number of disks. Fig. 5 is a top view of a modified form ofdevice embodying our invention, the View showing the top disks F removedand partly in section. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same, partly insection. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail side view, partly in section, ofaportion ol' the apparatus to be hereinafter described The samecharacters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

Figsl and 3 representa group of four disks, of which two only are fullyshown in Fig. 1. These disks receive rotary motion at the sameperipheral speed by being geared together at their circumferences bymeans of toothed gearing or otherwise. Under these conditions if it heassumed that a movable object is placed at the point din thecircumference of the disk I said object will be moved in the directionof the arrows toward disk II, around a portion of the circumference ofwhich it will pass from the moment of its contact with the two disks andin a similar manner will pass from disk II to disk Ill, thence to diskSerial No. 725,837. (No model.)

1V, and back to disk I, and so on. The movable object will thus describeduring its cycle of movement a series of arcs of circles alternatelyupon the interior and the exterior portions of the circumference of thegroup of four disks, the course described being that of a double loop.If nowa second moving object be placed at, say, point I) upon disk II,

determined by the relative dimensions of the disks and moving objects.

1f the number of disks be increased to six or upward, the path traversedby each moving object will be a sinuous line winding around the commoncenter of the group of disks, as shown in Fig. 4.

The disks carrying the moving objects may be of different diameters,provided that the number of positions (of the moving objects) on eachdisk is con'stant'and at least equal to four and that the arcs ofcircles comprised between two positions of said objects shall beidentical in all the disksthat is to say, that all the objects shallpass between the points of contact of the disks in equal times, as willbe hereinafter explained. 1

It will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 in the first placethat the position occupied by the moving objects upon the disks shouldbe such that no two of said objects can meet at the same moment at thesame point of translation from one disk to another. The disks shouldtherefore be so arranged as to present alternately a free point and apoint occupied by a moving object, thus causing a space to coincide witha plenum in order to render possible the exchange or translation of themoving objects. Having thus defined ourinvention in general terms, wewill now proceed to describe the mechanical combinations with the aid ofwhich the three following phases of action may be executed: first,maintenance of the objects in motion during their transport between thepoints of exchange and during the passage of the objects from one diskto another; second, retention of the moving objects (by means ofoperating mechanism) momentarily out of action, and, third, release ofthe moving objects by the operating mechanism momentarily in action,these two latter actions being accomplished alternately according to therule previously indicated.

In the example of the application of the invention which we will nowdescribe the object aimed at is that of effecting the translation of theobjects ordinarily employed in connection with roundabouts and thelikesuch as animals, vehicles, and figures of various kinds-either to beridden by those participating in the exercise or as a means of transportorfor displaying pictures, he, by causing the latter to traverse withsafety the varied directions before indicated. To this end we employ thearrangements represented in the first place in Figs. 1 and 2.

I II are two disks or platforms forming part of a four-disk system,these disks being fixed on the upper ends of vertical shaftsc,

which rotate on ball-bearings d to lessen the .resistance to movementand are journaled at their lower ends in footstep hearings. Theserevolving parts are supported on hollow columns 6 and receive motion incommon from gear-wheelsf of the same diameter, for ex ample, as thedisks, meshing the one in another, and which receive their motion fromadriving-wheel that may be placed at g or h,

according as the motor is to be placed at the center of or at one sideof the roundabout. Beneath each upper revolving disk or platform issuspended a second disk 2', the two disks being rigidly connected bymeans of a tal surface or be formed with raised portions p, as shown.The support for the moving object is further provided with a rollerq forthe purpose of controlling and varying at will by means of lateralguides the partial rota tion of the spindles Z at each point of thetraverse of the object.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: Each obj ectis successivelyseized, transferred from one platform to the next, and then released forthe purpose of rendering it free to take a new direction by theautomatic action of a series of double gripper or pair of jaws r,'eachpair of which is jointed on a common axis 5. The perfect accuracy withwhich the three functions of seizing, holding, and releasing the objectsby means of the mechanical hands constituted by the grippers r areperformed is insured by the action of rollers lowthe'cam diskk, so thatthe rollers 1/ and t inparticipating in the rotation of the disks passthe points of contact of adjacent disks, the one roller in the upper andanother in the lower groove, and so on alternately. The bend of theupper and lower cam grooves being disposed inversely to each dther, itfollows that the grippers mounted on the same disk succeed eachotheralsoin thealternately open andclosed-thatis to say, in theinoperative and operative-positions. The cams of each revolving disk arefurther disposed inversely to those of the disks immediately in contacttherewith, so that the grippers (which are themselves arrangedalternately in two different horizon tal planes) will always bepresented at their point of coincidence,

.the one open and the other closed upon the spindle which carries themoving object. In consequence of the inverse movement-s 1mparted by thecams to the rollers (passing the tangent-points of the disks) andthrough said rollers to the grippers those of the latter which hold theobject abandon their hold and transfer the object to those gripperswhich are. next to receive it, and in order that this exchange may beefiected with the necessary security the parts are so arranged that thegrippers shall have seized the object before it has been released by thepreceding grippers. To obtain this result, the common axis 8 ofeach pairof grippers is mounted in a frame oscillating upon another axisl,pivoted in the upper disk or platform I, II, III,

&c., and in support 2, fixed to the lower platform 'i. The extremity 3of this frame is adaptedto abut against suitably-mounted stops/L and 5,a spring 6 tending to force the ,part 3 against stop 4, andthus bringthe axis of rod Z in thecorrespondinggripper-amiss into a radiusslightly greater than that of the disks at their tangent-point, andconsequently in the neighborhood of the points of coincidence of theseparate sets of grippers, (2'. cl, in the plane in which lie the axesof two adjacent disks,) and for a certain time the two circular ,pathsof the moving objects tend to intersect one another. In reality(assumingthe springs 6 to be of equal strength) this tendency causes the objectto travel in a rectilinear path during the time, for example, that thecams, first, force the roller 15 to still hold the grippers r r closed;second, cause the rollers t to effect theclosing of grippers 1' r and,third, cause the roller 1" a moment afterward to effeet the opening ofgrippers 1' r. The prac- 659,693 I is tical realization of thiskinematic function is insured by allowing the two rollers to havesufficient play according to the radius of their respective disks. Inefiect there elapses a certain time during which the rods 1 are held bythe pairs of grippers of both the disks between which the exchange ofthe object is to be effected, the object being abandoned by the one diskonly after it has been seized by the following disk and securely heldfor the purpose of being carried along and transported toward a seriesof fresh points in the track which it has to traverse. The same effectsare produced for allthe other exchanges of the objects according to therules of alternation and inversion of direction of motion previouslydescribed. A simpler arrangement of mechanism may also be employed, suchas that represented in plan and vertical section in Figs. 5 and 6. InFig. 5 the movements of the object are effected by means of multiplelevers pivoted at a and having three arms I) c d. The arm Z) of each ofthese levers is curved at its extremity to exactly conform to theexterior contour of the guide-tube e, by which the movement of theobject is effected. The arm 0 of the lever has pivoted upon itsextremity a roller f, by which the common Working of these multiplelevers is controlled. The arm d of each of said multiple levers servesas the point of attachment for a spring g, whereby the rollersf areconstantly and firmly pressed against the cams 7t 7t, whereas in theprevious arrangement the rollers through which the movements aree'lfected are engaged between the parallel curvatures of two cams,whichconduce to the production of the same movement. From an examination ofFig. 5 of the drawings it will be observed that the cam h isuppermostupon the right-hand side of the device, whereas it is lowermost on theleft-hand side. The disposition of these cams is such that thedepression in the cam h is coincident with the elevation of the cam h ofeach carrier. The roller f of one carrier will bear upon a cam h,whereas the next roller will bear upon the cam h. It will be understoodthat from this arrangement and the disposition of each set of cams withrelation to another a roller f on one carrier will bear on the elevatedportion of its cam h after leaving an intersecting position, whereas therollerf of the cooperating gripper on another carrier will bear upon adepressed portion of its cam h. It will likewise be understood that therollers f'of alternate grippers on the same carrier bear upon the samecam. Thus, for instance, the rollers of the first and third gripper uponthe right-hand side of Fig. 5 and counting from the upper gripper bearupon the cam h, whereas the rollers of the second and fourth grippersbear upon the cam h. As shown in Fig. 5, the movement and retention ofthe objects are effected partly by the terminal curvature of the leversb and partly by a seating of the guide-tube e in a depression formed ina second lever b, pivoted on a center 00. The pivots a and at are bothcarried upon the same frame y and are duplicated to take the place ofthe disks I II, &c., and the disks 1' of the first arrangement. Thelevers b have each an arm I), which serves as a point of attachment forthe spring g, which tends to constantly press the rollers ffirmlyagainst the cams h h, and thus insures the requisite control of themovements for seizing and releasing the objects by the hooked levers b.The same spring 9 tends to bring the depression for the guide-tube e,formed in the arm of lover I), to bear against the stop i. A second stoplimits the oscillations of b either in case of the accidental breakageof spring g or at the moment. of intersection of the two circular pathsof the supports of the moving objects, at which point their paths aremomentarily converted into a rectilinear path. As in the arrangementillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, there is provided in a second planeparallel to the first a second series of levers b b, of similar form tothose already described and fast on the same axes a and as, so that eachof the guidetubes which supports a moving object may be always held andacted on at two points in its height and that the several guide-tubesmay thus move constantly parallel to each other. Both members of thepair of leverarms 19 b (corresponding to each position capable of beingoccupied by the moving objects) are thus amenable to the action of asingle rollerf and a single spring g. Fixed disks P are supported uponcolumns 19, concentric with each rotary apparatus, these columns beingsupported upon the ground or foundation of the runabout. The rods whichsupport the objects alone pass through an opening made between thestationary disks P and the platform Q. The same rules of workingpreviously described will also apply in this arrangementviz.,alternation of the positions occupied and unoccupied by the objects, soas to avoid their mutual collision, permit of their exchange and of thecontinuity of their traveling movement from point to point, and of therequisite reversal of the movements of the gripping and releasinglevers.

The arrangement represented in Fig. 7 permits the transmission of anykind of movement to the objects during their travel and of utilizingsaid movements to produce varied effects. This arrangement providesmeans for utilizing the rotary motion of the wheels n, which support themoving objects during their travel alonglhe track 0. For example, themotion of wheels n may be transmitted to the upper part of the object.To this end upon the axis of wheel at is keyed a bevelpinion Cb, whosemotion is transmitted through bevel-pinion b, shaft 0, and bevel-gear de, the latter keyed on a shaft f, turning easily in the interior of therod Z, which supports the object under the same conditions as thosepreviously described.

Although we have described several applications of our system ofautomatic translation, it should be understood that the generalarrangements on which the apparatus is based may be applied in all casesin which an object or body of any kind may be or is required to betransferred or transported by exchange between any suitable organs oftranslation.

We claim 1. In a device of the character specified, the combination of aplurality of rotatable carriers, grasping devices carried by saidcarriers, an object having a stem that is adapted to be engaged by thegrasping devices and means for automatically actuating said graspingdevices to release one grasping device when another has been operated tograsp the object, whereby the object is caused to move continuously fromone grasping device to another and in a curvilinear path of varyingdirection.

2. Inadevice of the character specified, the combination of a pluralityof cooperating rotary carriers, means for rotating all of said carriersat the same rate of speed, a grasping I device has been operated tograsp the object,

whereby the object is caused to be moved by said grasping devicescontinuously from one grasping device to another and in a curvilinearpath of varying direction.

3. In a device of the character specified, the combination of aplurality of cooperating rotatable carriers grasping devices carried bysaid carriers, an obj set-carrying device adapted to be grasped by thegrasping devices, an object carried by the said object-carrying deviceand movable independently thereof and means independent of the carriersfor automatically releasing one grasping device when an otherhas beenoperated to grasp the objectcarrying device, whereby the object iscaused to be successively grasped by the grasping devices and to movecontinuously from one grasping device to another and caused by thegrasping devices to move in acurvilinear path of varying directions andto permit a movement of the object in a direction ditferent from thatproduced by the carriers.

4. In a device of the character specified, the combination of aplurality of rotatable carriers, grasping devices carried by saidcarriers, an object-carrying device adapted to be grasped by thegrasping devices, an object carried by the said obj cot-carrying deviceand movable independently thereof, a cam-track upon which an extensionof the object is adapt ed to bear in order to support the object andmeans independent of the carriers for automatically actuating thecarriers to release one grasping device when another has been operatedto grasp the obj ect-carryin g device,

whereby the object is moved continuously from one grasping device toanother and caused by said devices to move in a curvilinear path ofvarying directions and in a direction at right angles to the plane ofmovement of the carriers in a curvilinear path.

5. In a device of the character specified, the combination of aplurality of rotatable cooperating carriers, means for rotating saidcarriers, a gripping device carried by each of said carriers, thecarriers being so related that the path of movement of the grippingdevice of one carrier intersects with the path of movement of thegripping device of another carrier, a spindle adapted to be grasped bythe gripping devices, an object carried by and movable independently ofsaid spindle,means for automatically releasing the gripping device ofone carrier when said gripping device is coincident with the grippingdevice of another carrier and for automatically operating saidsecond-named gripping device to grasp the spindle when the first-namedgripping device has released it and means for automatically turning theobject ion the spindle during the translation of said spindle.

6. In a device of the character specified, the combination of aplurality of rotatable cooperating carriers, means for rotating saidcarriers and gripping devices carried by each of said carriers, thecarriers hein g so related that the path of movement of the grippingdevice of one carrier intersects with the path of movement of thegripping device of another carrier, a spindle adapted to be grasped bythe gripping devices, an object carried by and movable independently of,said spindle, means for automatically releasing the gripping device ofone carrier when said gripping device is coincident with the grippingdevice of another carrier and for automatically operating saidsecond-named gripping device to grasp the spindle when the first-namedgripping device has released it, means for automatically turning theobject on the spindle during the translation of said spindle and meansfor automatically moving said object independently of its spindle in avertical direction. i I

7. Ina device of the character specified, the combination of a pluralityof rotatable cooperating carriers, means for rotating said carriers andgripping devices carried by each of said carriers, the carriers being sorelated that the path of movement of the gripping device of one carrierintersects with\ the path of movement of the gripping device of anothercarrier, aspindle adapted to be grasped by the gripping devices, anobject-supporting rod carried by and movable independently of saidspindle, a lateral projection extending from said rod, a cam-track whichcooperates with said lateral extension to efiect a turning of the objectwith relation to the spindle,

means for automatically releasing the gripdirection without affectingthe turning and curvilinear movement thereof.

The foregoing specification of our appa- 15 ratus for transportingmovable objects in a curvilinear path of varying direction signed by usthis 21st day of July, 1899.

GASTON POSSIEN. FREDERIO VICTOR MAQUAIRE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD P. MAOLEAN, MAURICE HENRI PIGNET.

